A new list from the World’s 50 Best franchise of international dining guides unveiled its top 50 restaurants across North America on Thursday night. Three L.A. restaurants — Providence, Kato and Holbox — were included in the inaugural North America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
The no. 1 restaurant on the list is Atomix in New York City.
The guide ranked restaurants from the United States, Canada and parts of the Caribbean. Restaurants in Cuba and the Dominican Republic will remain on the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. All lists are determined by the company’s anonymous voting committee of 300 chefs, food journalists and “gourmets.”
“The quality of food is going to be central, as is the service — but the style of both, the surroundings, atmosphere, social impact and indeed the price level are each more or less important for each individual,” the 50 Best organization said in a statement about the guide’s voting process and considerations.
Gilberto Cetina’s marisqueria inside Historic South-Central’s Mercado la Paloma food hall serves an array of seafood inspired by chef-owner Gilberto Cetina’s upbringing in the Yucatán Peninsula. For Cetina, whose restaurant was named the L.A. Times Restaurant of the Year in 2023, the latest accolade signals a time not only to celebrate Holbox’s success, but those of all Mexican restaurants and cooks. He said other Mexican chefs at the Las Vegas announcement ceremony echoed the belief.
“There’s so much talent in L.A., and being picked as the only one representing our part of Los Angeles — our culture, our food — is super special,” Cetina said. “I think the sentiment is very much the same across the board: Everybody’s really proud, especially right now with these times when our people don’t feel as welcome as we have before, with the way politics are. Being able to be here at a national forum representing Mexican culture through our food is really cool.”
Other Mexican and Latin-leaning restaurants included are Californios in San Francisco, Alma Fonda Fina in Denver, César and Corima in New York City, Quetzal in Toronto and Alma in Montreal.
Cetina brought his wife, parents and staff to the event; they’d received “hints” that Holbox would place, though the chef said he tried not to get his hopes up. Holbox placed at no. 42 on the North American list.
Kato partner Ryan Bailey said he “sprinted” to LAX from his Arts District fine dining restaurant on Tuesday evening in order to join his business partners chef Jon Yao and Nikki Reginaldo in Las Vegas. Kato — the no. 1 top restaurant on the L.A. Times 101 List the last two years in a row — placed 26th on North America’s 50 Best.
Last year the World’s 50 Best list named Kato as “one to watch,” and also recommended its bar program as one of the guide’s “discoveries.” That recognition was the guide’s first award for an L.A. restaurant in more than a decade.
Bailey said that in the months following last year’s nods, Kato began serving more international customers than ever before, with some visiting from Hong Kong, Berlin, London, Tokyo and beyond. He hopes that the new North American guide will also help expose potential diners to Kato and the other awardees. Bailey said he scours these lists and local publications when determining where to dine while traveling, and sees the new compendium as another tool for food tourism.
“I think for all of L.A., it’s amazing,” Bailey said.
The year has proved a fruitful one for Providence, Hollywood’s seafood tasting-menu destination, which just entered its 20th year in business. In summer it earned its third Michelin star alongside Somni, making history as L.A.’s first-ever three-star restaurants. Providence also earned a green star for sustainability. On Thursday night it placed 47th on North America’s 50 Best, and chef-partner Michael Cimarusti won the organization’s Estrella Damm chefs’ choice award.
“It’s crazy,” Cimarusti said of the success. “It’s a little bit beyond my hopes or expectations. It’s not something you plan for, not something you allow yourself to hope for or expect … . We just put our heads down and work. We are just there to do our very best by our guests, every single day.”
Cimarusti, who owns the restaurant with partners Donato Poto and Crisi Echiverri, said that all accolades belong to his entire team.
The chef and sustainability expert added that recognition only spurs them to better the restaurant.
“It’s just an opportunity for us to continue to push, because plateauing is the worst thing you can ever do in a restaurant — especially one like Providence, an aspirational type of restaurant,” he said. “Along with pleasing our guests, our greatest responsibility is to keep pushing forward and keep the restaurant evolving. That’s what helped us get to the 20-year mark, and that’s what will help carry the restaurant into the future.”
Find the full list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants online now.
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